When and why do narcissistic individuals attain status in groups?

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Michael Paul Grosz
• Subject Area: Personality Psychology, Clinical and Medical Psychology, Methodology ; Social Psychology, Industrial and Organisational Psychology
• Term: from 2018 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 407503175

• Final Report Year: 2024

Final Report Abstract

People with social status are respected and admired by others, and others willingly comply with their desires, needs, and suggestions. Hence, individuals with high status have a strong influence on their social environment. The project "When and why do narcissistic individuals attain status in groups?" examined whether and under what circumstances narcissistic individuals gain social status in groups. Narcissistic people are people who are vain, antagonistic, competitive, and self-centered. The centerpieces of the project were a meta-analysis and a large laboratory experiment. In the meta-analysis, we examined not only whether and when narcissistic traits such as antagonism and assertiveness are associated with attaining status, but also whether and when other personality traits, intelligence, and height are associated with achieving social status in groups. For this purpose, over 1,000 effects from 276 samples with more than 56,000 participants were analyzed in the meta-analysis. The results indicate that social status is often attained by individuals who are either competent or selfless. Additionally, the results suggested that social status is achieved by assertive and impression managing individuals probably because they create the impression of competence or selflessness. In the laboratory study, over 600 participants took part. They interacted in groups of 7-9 people. In each group, approximately half of the members had the opportunity to share resources with all other members. Then, the other half observed how much the members of the first half had shared and had the opportunity to punish members of the first half. Among the group members who had the opportunity to share resources, narcissistic individuals tended to share less and gain less social status. Among the group members who had the opportunity to punish members, narcissistic individuals tended to punish more and achieve slightly more status. Thus, whether narcissistic individuals achieve status seems to depend on whether they are useful to the group in the given situation or not. The results of the project have not only important theoretical implications for research but also practical relevance. For example, the results of the meta-analysis underscore the need not to take for granted that individuals with high social status are also highly competent or selfless. It would be advisable for organizations to implement evidence-based procedures (e.g., intelligence tests) in selection decisions to identify the right individuals for leadership positions.

Publications

• Personality predictors of social status attainment. Current Opinion in Psychology, 33, 52-56.
  Grosz, Michael P.; Leckelt, Marius & Back, Mitja D.
  
• A Process × Domain Assessment of Narcissism: The Domain-Specific Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire. Assessment, 29(7), 1482-1495.
  Grosz, Michael P.; Hartmann, Isabel; Dufner, Michael; Leckelt, Marius; Gerlach, Tanja M.; Rauthmann, John F.; Denissen, Jaap J. A.; Küfner, Albrecht C. P. & Back, Mitja D.
  
• A process × domain assessment of narcissism: The Domain-Specific Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire. Talk at the 16th Meeting of the Group for Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology, and Personality Assessment of the German Psychological Society [Digital conference], Ulm, Germany.
  Grosz, M. P., Hartmann, I., Dufner, M., Leckelt, M., Gerlach, T. M., Rauthmann, J. F., Denissen, J. J. A., Küfner, A. C. P. & Back, M. D.
  
• A meta-analysis on the associations of personality, intelligence, and physical size with social status. Talk at the 20th European Conference on Personality, Madrid, Spain.
  Grosz, M. P., van Aert, R. C. M. & Back, M. D.
  
• Individual differences in the quest for and attainment of social status and interpersonal affiliation. Symposium organized at the 20th European Conference on Personality, Madrid, Spain.
  Grosz, M. P. & Dufner, M.
  
• Wann und warum erlangen narzisstische Individuen Status in Gruppen? [When and why narcissistic individuals attain status in groups?] Talk at the 17th Meeting of the Group for Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology, and Personality Assessment of the German Psychological Society, Salzburg.
  Grosz, M. P., Thielmann, I., Krabbe, H. & Back, M. D.
  
• A meta-analytic review of the associations of personality, intelligence, and physical size with social status.. Psychological Bulletin, 150(3), 253-283.
  Grosz, Michael P.; van Aert, Robbie C. M. & Back, Mitja D.
  
• Meta-Analyse zeigt Zusammenhang von Körpergröße, Intelligenz und Persönlichkeitsmerkmalen mit sozialem Status [Press release]. Informationsdienst Wissenschaft e. V.
  Schimmelpfennig, L.
  
• Meta-analysis on who attains admiration, respect, and influence in face to-face groups? Kudos.
  Grosz, Michael P.
  
• When and why do individuals high in narcissistic rivalry attain social status?. European Journal of Personality, 39(3), 392-407.
  Grosz, Michael P.; Thielmann, Isabel; Krabbe, Hanna & Back, Mitja D.